Novelty bath sponge



Oct. 6, 1936. c. LEWIS NOVELTY BATH SPONGE Filed Aug. 22, 1955 ATTORNEY 7 \NVENTOR EVELYNCLAYTONLEWBS Patented Oct. 6, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to novelty bath sponges, particularly of the type having a portion thereof sculptured into a figure having both aesthetic and utilitarian values.

Although sponge rubber products have been conceived of various forms and shapes, it is my belief that these generally do not combine certain very desirable features which would render the article both appealing to the eye and of particular utility in its application. It is hence within the contemplation of my invention to improve upon such existing designs by enabling a presentable sponge of this class not only to appeal to the eye of an observer, but also to have such physical properties as will enable it to be properly grasped for efficient handling and to further permit it to have additional functional capabilities as to be especially appealing to a child. I accomplish this purpose by constructing the article with a sponge rubber body and a surfacing of predetermined molded or sculptured configuration, the said molded portion serving not only an obvious aesthetic purpose, but also serving in the capacity of a hand-gripping element,and in a particular form of this invention, by providing a passageway between the pervious body portion to a predetermined part of the molded surfacing, such as the mouth thereof, whereby water or bubbles Will be emitted therefrom. It is believed that the aforesaid features in an article of this category are novel, and particularly useful and attractive.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the drawing and the description hereinafter given.

Referring to the drawing,

Figure 1 is a side view of the bath sponge constituting my invention.

Figure 2 is a front view thereof, and

Figure 3 is a part sectional fragmentary side view of Figure 2 taken along line 3-3, showing one form of my invention containing a passageway extending from the body portion of the sponge to the mouth of the figure forming the surfacing of the sponge.

In the drawing, the sponge l is composed of a pervious sponge rubber portion 2 and a yieldable impervious gripping portion 3 sculptured, in the particular form of my device shown in the drawing, as a childs face,the shape of the outer laterally exposed surface of the portion 2 being that of a wig for said face. It will be noted that said wig is substantially coextensive with the hand-gripping portion, to form a complete predetermined surface design of presentable appearance.

The said hand-gripping portion is preferably of smooth surface texture, and as aforesaid, impervious to water, and preferably both yieldable and resilient to permit distortion thereof upon manual manipulation. The mouth thereof communicates with the passageway 4 which extends into the pervious body portion of the sponge,- this being a preferred form of my invention.

In the application of this device, the relatively hard impervious portion 3 is adaptable to be gripped by the hand, leaving the sponge portion 2 exposed for the sponging or washing operation. The application of pressure to the portion 3 will be transmitted through the sponge portion 2 due to the fact that said portion 3 is yieldable,thereby permitting any water contained within the pervious portion 2 to be squeezed out during the aforesaid washing operation.

Inasmuch as the passageway 4 extends into the body of the porous portion 2, any pressure applied to the sponge will cause an emission of water via said passageway through the mouth to cause a bubbling effect or an actual emission of water,-an animated function which could be particularly pleasing to a child.

It is further apparent that the yieldable and resilient nature of the portion 3 lends itself readily to distortion so that upon a squeezing of the sponge the features of the face can be distorted in various ways,a property which enhances its value as an implement or toy for a child.

Although the form in Figure 3 illustrates the device as containing a passageway 4 therein, this is not a necessary feature of my invention, as the other elements thereof constitute patentable novelty; and it is further understood that the various embodiments above described and shown in the drawing are illustrative of my invention and not employed by way of limitation, inasmuch as numerous changes and modifications may be made, within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What I claim is:

A bath sponge comprising a sponge body of compact shape having an impervious flexible layer curved about an appreciable area of the body surface, the remainder of said surface being pervious, and an opening through the layer into the sponge body remotely located from the layer edges.

EVELYN CLAYTON LEWIS. 

